ABSTRACT

In the field of identification, the effects of age on the face have always been an interesting subject, especially concerning age estimation. Although there are many studies on this subject with front face images, the profile (side face) images, especially the ear studies, are insufficient, which remained underresearched., in this study, we aimed to examine the changes in human face profile and ear with age and contribute to future age estimation studies in the literature.

Data regarding human face profile and ear that provide statistically significant results were included in this study. Within the statistically significant data, the values that showed a continuous increase/decrease with age focused on seeing how the effects of age on the face are. Linear regression analysis was performed using 19 anthropometric points (landmarks) together with profile face and ear area measurements.

A total of 369 volunteers’ profile images and ear images (166 female, 203 male) were gathered in this study. Profile face and ear measurements were taken and analyzed in ImageJ. It was observed that the continuous increase in profile and ear measurements was in the ear in women. Similar to women, an increase in ear size was observed in men, as well as an enlargement in the auricle.

According to the data, the findings suggest that in a forensic case, when the age is estimated from the human facial images, the profile image and the ear image can be helpful in cases where the front image cannot be obtained. If more data and parameters are used in future studies, more successful results can be obtained.

Keywords: Age Estimation; Forensic Sciences; Anthropometry; Biometry; Ear; Identification